Beef Stew with Winter Squash

Name: Beef Stew with Winter Squash
Yield: makes 4 servings
Ingredients: 1 1/2 to 2 pounds boneless beef chuck, cut into 1- to 1 1/2-inch chunks; 2 cups Dashi (page 162), chicken stock, preferably homemade (page 160), or water; 1/4 cup soy sauce; 1/4 cup mirin, honey, or sugar; 10 nickel-sized slices peeled fresh ginger; Salt and black pepper to taste; 1 lemon; 1 1/2 pounds peeled and seeded butternut, pumpkin, or other winter squash, or sweet potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks

December 14, 2011

Although this stew has much in common with the humble American beef stew, it is legitimately Japanese and wonderfully flavored with soy, ginger, mirin (the Japanese sweet cooking wine, for which sugar or honey is an adequate substitute), winter squash, and, perhaps best of all, the peel and juice of a lemon. The combination is one of simple and delicious counterpoints that make this a great stew. Ambitious cooks may want to include dashi, the quickly made stock that is one of the most fundamental flavors of Japanese cooking, but the stew is great when made with chicken stock or, for that matter, water. Other cuts of meat you can use here: short ribs (which will require longer cooking time), bone-in chicken thighs (which will cook more quickly), veal shoulder or round.

Recipe notes

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